Into The Light
by Anony-Mousy
Summary: Sometimes things happen that change your life forever...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **I have absolutely no idea where this came from, I woke up this morning and there it was. Not destined to be a long story, just a few chapters.

**Disclaimer**: The characters, with the exception of those not in the original line-up, don't belong to me they remain the property of Paxson Entertainment and Pebblehut. I'm just having a bit of fun with them.

o-xxx-o

**Into The Light**

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He was in a strange place, neither hot nor cold and completely devoid of colour. He'd had strange dreams before but nothing compared to this. The ground was white, he assumed with snow… The sky was white, cloudy he guessed. The walls, if there were any… In fact everything was white, leaving him with no way to tell where one part ended and the other began.

He seemed to be separate from his body, as though his mind had taken on a life of its own and was trying to break free to soar into… who knew where. It wasn't frightening or exciting, it just was… and he felt an overwhelming desire to give in and let it take him where it would. He tried but something was holding him back, anchoring him in this strange world; a gentle female voice was begging him not to leave. It was a whisper, an echo, as though it was coming from a long way away and he wondered why she wouldn't let him go but he had no voice to ask.

Flashes of colour began to appear, dazzling him… Blues and reds, then after a while they turned into vivid white squares. He was looking up at them, their regularity hypnotic; their brightness hurting his eyes and forcing him to close them. He started to drift again and the warm hand gripped his even tighter, he assumed it belonged to the disembodied voice. He wanted her to let him go but there was something else… An almost ethereal shadow cloaked in white ordering him to hold on; the urgency in the tone telling him this wasn't right and he felt panic welling up inside him as he tried desperately to wake himself up without success. He was tired, too tired to fight, so instead he made a supreme effort to focus on his surroundings and pull images out of the stark whiteness that was beginning to swallow him again.

He was lying on his back, he assumed in bed, but his mattress was hard and unyielding and seemed to be moving, the sensation making him feel sick. The anchor that only moments ago he'd wanted to shed, had relinquished its hold and he'd started to float and now he wanted it back... the sudden feeling of being lost and alone, terrifying him. There were figures coming out of the walls, beckoning him to join them and he felt powerless to resist their silent call.

As they drew closer, he realised he knew them... His grandmother; his favourite Uncle from childhood; a friend from university and Kristen as she was before she'd fallen victim to cocaine… All people that he'd lost years ago. They wanted him to go with them and where would be the harm? They were friends and relatives and they would protect him, help him. He took a couple of tentative steps towards them and then stopped. The warm hand was back in his, holding on tightly, the touch only lasting a few moments but enough to make him hesitate and the ghosts from his past disappeared back the way they'd come.

He was alone, adrift in a sea of whiteness with no idea which way to turn…

o-xxx-o


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Gosh, my brain seems to be swamped with ideas at the moment, they're coming thick and fast! I think my Muse must be having an end of year clear out! :-D Thank you for reading and reviewing! Should warn you that you might need a box of tissues on standby for this chapter. Enjoy!

o-xxx-o

Sue sat huddled in the very corner of the deserted room with Levi at her feet and if anyone had come in, they probably wouldn't have noticed her as she would have been hidden by the door when it opened. The Golden Retriever pawed her anxiously but she was oblivious to it as she tried to work out how something so mundanely routine could have gone so terribly wrong.

The door opened and the rest of the Team walked in and looked around. Myles was the first to spot her and they all moved in her direction causing her to shrink back even further. D waved them away and when they'd gone he crouched down in front of the clearly distraught woman.

"Sue…" He touched her lightly on the arm, startling her. "You need to tell me what happened." A voice from behind had him spinning around and he came face-to-waist with a middle-aged, kindly looking nurse.

"I'm not sure you'll be able to get anything out of the poor creature, she's been like that since they brought her here. She's in shock and I believe someone said she was deaf."

"That's right."

"You know her? I thought you were one of the F.B.I Agents."

"I am and so is Ms Thomas."

"Well, I never… Who would have believed that?"

The Supervisor could barely conceal is annoyance. "Do you think you could leave us alone for a while?"

"Surely… I was just bringing her some sweet tea."

"Thank you." He took it and waited for her to leave. "Sue…" He tried again and this time he saw a flicker of acknowledgement in her eyes. "Here drink this, it'll help." Handing her the mug, he sat down petting Levi and after a few sips she finally spoke.

"I thought… I thought he'd tripped… I was laughing at him… I didn't know… I didn't know…" Her face crumpled and D took her into his arms to comfort her but after a few minutes she seemed to realise where she was and what was expected of her. Straightening up, she swiped her tears away angrily.

"I need you to tell me everything that happened. Start at the beginning…"

"I… We…" She stopped and held up her hand to ask him to wait.

"Take your time."

After swallowing down more of the almost sickly beverage, she felt a little more in control and started over, this time her voice was a little stronger. "We were about halfway through the list of witnesses and decided to take a break and get something to eat. We found a little café just off M Street…"

"Can you remember the name of it?"

"No, I wasn't paying any attention."

"That's okay, don't worry."

"We ordered and ate lunch and then… No, I almost forgot… There was a queue for tables. We were discussing the menu while we waited and an argument broke out between a man and woman at the counter. She was really upset and Jack went to see if he could help smooth things over. It looked like it was going to turn ugly so he showed them his badge and, in the end, it was all resolved peacefully, the couple apologised and left and the incident was forgotten." She took another sip of her tea. "We stayed for around forty-five minutes, paid the bill and left. We were talking about Howie and as we turned the corner, Jack suddenly stumbled into me. I thought he'd tripped and I made a joke about it but he didn't laugh, only stared at me, his eyes wide with surprise or shock or something. I asked him what was wrong but he didn't answer, just dropped to his knees, clutching the left side of his chest."

Her tears had started to fall again and her body was shaking as she relived the terrifying events. D quickly rescued the mug she was still holding and put it down onto the floor before she dropped it.

"And then..?" he prompted softly.

She sniffled and he gave her his handkerchief. "**Thank you**. And then he was… he was…" Sensing his mistress' distress, Levi pushed his head under her hand to comfort her and she drew strength from his warmth. "He was lying on the ground in front of me. I thought he was having another heart attack. I think I must have called for help but I can't remember." She took a shuddering breath.

"Someone shoved me to one side. I couldn't see his lips so I didn't realise he was an off-duty paramedic at first and I tried to push him away. He was angry and speaking so quickly I couldn't understand him and all the time Jack was lying there as still as… as… I explained to him that I was deaf and he turned to face me and apologised. He asked if I knew what had happened and I told him about Jack's heart condition, although I couldn't remember what it was. Why couldn't I remember? I know it now."

D took her trembling hand in his and stroked the back with his thumb the way Jack would have, making her tears flow more freely. "Sue, it's okay. It was the shock, that's all."

"The paramedic used his fingers to take his pulse and I could tell by his expression that something was wrong, I thought he was dead…" She paused again. "And then he unbuttoned his coat and slid his hand inside and when he pulled it out, it was… it was… B-L-O-O-D," she resorted to finger-spelling, unable to voice the word aloud.

"It wasn't a heart attack?" D asked incredulously.

She shook her head 'no'. S-H-O-T

"What?"

"I didn't know, maybe if I had I could have done something to stop the bleeding but I couldn't even hear the gun go off. I… I'm sorry. I'm sorry…" She finally broke down completely, a series of gut-wrenching sobs wracking her body.

"Sue, it's not your fault." He tried to comfort her but realised she couldn't focus enough to read what he was saying and so he held her in his arms for a few minutes then pulled away, waiting for her to look at him again. "I'm going to send Lucy in to sit with you while I brief the rest of the team, okay?"

He let her go and stood up, tears prickling the back of his eyes when she pulled her feet up onto the seat, hugging her legs against her and burying her face in her knees.

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	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Sorry this one's been a bit neglected and thank you for all your reviews. Enjoy!

o-xxx-o

He returned to find Lucy sitting on the seat that he'd occupied a few hours earlier, Sue appeared to be sleeping, her head resting on her friend's shoulder.

"Is there any news?" The rotor asked as he entered the room, her voice filled with trepidation.

"He's still in surgery. How's she doing?"

"Not good. She's blaming herself, convinced that all the naysayers were right and she has no business being out in the field. She's even considering transferring back to fingerprinting."

"That's crazy."

"That's what I told her. Do we have any leads?"

D grabbed the back of one of the vacant chairs and dragged it round so he was facing both women. "We found the place where they had lunch. Luckily, Jack paid by card not cash."

"Some luck," she sighed. "And..?"

"The couple who had the fight were semi-regulars. The owner gave us a name and when we checked with Metro, it turned out they knew them pretty well. They'd been called to several disturbances at their apartment. Tara ran him through the database and discovered he'd only been released from prison, for the second time, a little over a month ago… spousal abuse. We think he probably panicked when Jack identified himself as a Federal Agent."

"The three strikes rule."

"Uh-huh. He knew that if Jack reported the incident they'd throw away the key this time so it looks like he did the only thing he could think of to prevent it."

"But how did he know it hadn't already been called in?"

"I guess he just hoped. Who knows how someone like that's, mind works? I've sent Bobby and Myles to pick him up."

"Bobby?" Lucy queried. "Are you sure that was such a good idea?"

"Luce, to be honest, at this moment I really don't care. If he roughs him up a little, he roughs him up and if he shoots him? It'll save us from having to listen to the scumbag trying to squirm his way out of a mandatory life sentence without parole."

"And if he's innocent?"

Dimitrius stared at her for a moment, his mind trying to process a scenario he hadn't even considered. "He's still a wife-beater. Anyway, I'm sure Myles will be able to keep Manning in line."

"My God, what a mess… talk about wrong place, wrong time."

"There's no way that anyone could have predicted this."

"Maybe you should try telling her."

"I would if I thought she'd listen." He smiled ironically at Lucy's quirked eyebrow. "No pun intended. We should get her home."

"I already tried."

"Then it's my turn." Reaching over he squeezed the sleeping woman's shoulder and hazel eyes filled with panic, snapped open.

"Jack?"

"…Still in surgery."

Sue glanced up at the clock on the wall. "It's been hours, what's wrong?"

"Sue, I'm sure there's nothing to worry about, he's in very good hands."

"I was with him when they brought him in, remember? I know how bad it was."

D gave her an apologetic smile. "**Sorry**. By the time he reached the hospital, he'd lost an awful lot of blood. If that off-duty paramedic hadn't been there when it happened…" He left the sentence unfinished.

"I saw." For the first time since they'd arrived she bent down to retrieve her jacket, the grey material stained with red.

"They gave him several transfusions to try and stabilise him but in the end they ran out of time and had to take him to the O.R. The wound was clean but the bullet punctured his lung and lodged very close to his heart, which meant they had to proceed very carefully and the problem with the arrhythmia complicated things."

Her eyes filled with tears but she quickly blinked them away so she wouldn't miss anything that was said. "And..?"

"They're just finishing up and then they'll be transferring him to the C.C.U."

"Then he's going to be okay?"

He took her hand. "He has a chance, a slim one… but a chance. The next forty-eight hours will be critical, if he survives those…" He stood up. "And now we need to get you home."

"No! I want to stay, I need to see him."

"You can't. Strictly no visitors and there'll be a guard on his door at all times."

"Please D, just for a few minutes."

"I'm sorry. Lucy is going to take you home, you can come back tomorrow."

"No." She folded her arms defiantly.

"Thomas, it's not up for negotiation." He used his most authoritative tone and sternest expression but immediately regretted it when he saw her face crumple. "Go home Sue, please."

She just sat staring at him, her bottom lip trembling as the tears started to flow once more and he melted like butter, crouching down in front of her.

"Alright," he sighed in defeat. "You go home now, have something to eat and get some rest for a few hours and I'll arrange with the staff to let you in first thing and stay for as long as you like but I don't think they'll allow Levi. Do we have a deal?"

At first she looked as though she was going to argue but in the end she just nodded. As she tried to stand, her knees buckled and she finished up back on the seat. Lucy touched D's arm and they both turned away from her for a second.

"Can you get her to my car and I'll go and see if they can give me something for her to take to make her sleep?"

"Good idea." He took hold of Sue's arm and helped her up. "Let's try that again, shall we?"

o-xxx-o

Sue had hated deceiving Lucy but there had been no way that she was going to take a pill and sleep for hours when Jack was alone and fighting for his life. She'd had a shower and forced herself to eat something, even managed a mug of hot chocolate and now she was lying down but every time she closed her eyes all she could see were the events of the day playing out like a movie on the inside of her lids. The look on his face as he'd fallen haunted her and she prayed it wouldn't be the last image of him she ever saw. When D had asked her to describe what had happened it had been a blur but now it was all crystal-clear in her mind…

The way he'd lain at her feet on the cold, unforgiving, concrete of the sidewalk… The paramedic fighting to save him… The blood that wouldn't stop flowing… There had been so much blood, too much… The ambulance arriving and the fight she'd had to go with him. Holding his hand whenever she could so he'd know he wasn't alone. The oxygen mask covering his face… Pulling over to the side of the road when the heart monitor had gone crazy and then flat-lined, so he could be resuscitated…

Arriving at the hospital and feeling a moment of hope as they'd wheeled him along the corridor on the trolley and his eyelids had fluttered. Trying to keep up and watching the lips of the medical team for any inkling of what was happening without walking into anything. Fear gripping her at their worried expressions. Reaching the double-doors and not being allowed to go through them… Having to relinquish her grip on his hand… Looking through the small window as they worked on him, their lips mouthing words she didn't want to see and yet she couldn't turn away.

"My God…" "We're losing him." "We have to stop this bleeding." "He's arrested!"

Someone had come along at that point and guided her to an empty waiting room. She'd wanted to ask if he was d… If he was still alive but they'd left her on her own, apart from Levi. She'd tried to get some sort of control of her emotions, knowing that the rest of the team would be there soon and want to know what had happened but all she could see was Jack's eyes as he'd fallen and she'd laughed… She'd laughed because she hadn't understood, hadn't been able to hear…

She'd promised D that she wouldn't go back to the hospital until the morning but she couldn't just lie there when… She had to know, had to be at his side and see for herself that he was alive and breathing even if it meant sitting and staring at the monitors all night.

As quickly and quietly as she could, she pulled on a pair of jeans, slipped a clean sweater over her head and made her way across the bedroom, motioning Levi to stay where he was but as she put on her coat, Lucy came stumbling sleepily out of her room.

"Sue?"

"I'm sorry Luce, I have to go back. I can't leave him alone in that place."

"I know, give me five minutes."

"You don't need to come."

"Look, you're not going out there alone at this time of night. I'll drive you to the hospital and then bring Levi back with me, okay?"

She nodded and gave her friend a small smile. "Okay… And Luce…"

"Mmm..?"

"**Thank you**."

o-xxx-o

The woman at the desk had given her directions and she made her way apprehensively to the Critical Care Unit but when she approached the door of his room, the Metro Officer on guard duty stopped her.

"Sorry ma'am, you can't go in there."

"I'm Sue Thomas, my Unit Supervisor, Dimitrius Gans arranged for me to visit."

"I'm aware of that Ms Thomas but Special Agent Hudson already has a visitor."

"Someone's here?"

"Yes ma'am."

Sue looked through the observation window to see Bobby standing at Jack's bedside and without thinking about what she was doing, she watched his lips as he spoke. He was telling him to fight and that everyone was praying for him… That he didn't have many real friends and he couldn't afford to lose his best one. Who else would keep him on the straight and narrow? When he took hold of the unconscious man's hand, she walked away realising that this was a private moment and she was intruding. A few minutes later he came out and was obviously surprised to see her.

"Sue…"

"How is he?"

"No change. He's barely hanging in." The Aussie slumped down onto the seat beside her. "I thought you'd be tucked up in bed."

"I couldn't sleep. I just keep seeing him lying there in front of me. There was nothing I could do to…"

"Sue, it wasn't your fault. No one could have known this would happen, not even Wonder Woman and Super Dog."

"Did you go to the suspect's apartment?"

"Yeah, we found his wife."

Something in is face told her that the news wasn't good. "And..?"

"Shot through the head."

Sue offered up a silent prayer for the woman. "And him..?"

"No sign. We think he must have gone back to pick up his gun after the encounter with Jack, it looks like she tried to stop him, but… I'll get the drongo, Sue. There'll be nowhere on this earth he can hide... No matter how long it takes, I'll find him."

"I know. Maybe…" Before she could finish Bobby jumped up.

"Jack!"

"What is it? What's wrong?" She caught sight of a light flashing above the door. "Bobby?"

The tall man pulled her to one side to prevent her being trampled by the emergency medical team. "All the alarms have gone off."

"Oh God no, please no…" She sank back down onto her seat and watched in panic as Jack was wheeled out and rushed down the corridor.

Bobby grabbed hold of one of the attendants, spinning him around and practically knocking him off his feet. "What's happening?"

"His blood pressure's plummeting, possible post-op haemorrhage… We need to get him back into surgery."

"He's gonna be okay though, right?"

The young man shrugged himself free of Bobby's grip. "I'm sorry, it's not looking good."

o-xxx-o


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Hope everyone is enjoying the Easter Break. Thank you for all the reviews and your good wishes - they cheered me up no end. Still grounded for another week but I'm getting there and Tangosalsa, you're very welcome to share my dynamite :-D Hope you're feeling better too. Enjoy.

o-xxx-o

He was lost in the whiteness again, only this time something was different. Whereas before he couldn't make anything out it was obvious now that it was some kind of room. There were two doors and he seemed to be standing equidistant from each. One had what he perceived to be a warm glow radiating from it while the other gave no indication of what lay beyond. He remained where he was, uncertain of which way to go… Door number one or door number two? The second smacked of uncertainty while the first… Instinctively, he knew it led to the people he had loved… His beloved grandmother who had always been there for him when he needed her, whether to tend a scraped knee or give advice if he found himself at a crossroads with no idea of which way to turn. He desperately wanted to talk with her now; she'd know what he should do. Taking a few steps in that direction, he felt something pulling him back but he shrugged it off and walked towards the light…

o-xxx-o

Not knowing what to do while she waited for news, Sue excused herself and made her way across the road and into the small church she'd noticed when they arrived. Walking along one of the outer aisles, she dropped a few coins into the metal box on the wall and lit a candle, putting it into an empty holder before sliding into one of the pews and kneeling down. A few minutes later there was a cool draft as someone else came in and she glanced surreptitiously over her shoulder to make sure that it was just another passer-by in need of solace and not something more sinister.

Bobby stopped, hesitating for a moment as though he wasn't sure he really belonged there but eventually he took a seat by the exit and bowed his head. Sue wiped her eyes and turned away to give him some privacy, resuming her own prayer and when she'd finished, not wanting to embarrass him, she made a show of standing and lighting another candle, this one on his behalf. When she turned around again he was gone and she walked back slowly to find him outside Jack's room nursing a cup of coffee as though he'd never left.

"Any news..?"

"Nothing..." The Aussie leaned back, resting against the wall and closing his eyes. "Why, Sue… why him?"

It wasn't a question she could find an answer for, so instead she took his hand and squeezed it, grateful to be distracted from her own fears for a few minutes. "He'll get through this. He has to."

"Your mouth to God's ears," He heaved himself up off the chair. "Look, I have to go or I'm gonna be useless at work tomorrow. You'll call me if anything happens?"

"I'll call."

"And you'll be okay here on your own?"

"I'll be fine."

"You're sure?"

She nodded and gave him a small smile. "Go home and get some rest."

"I'll try but I'm not promising anything."

o-xxx-o

She'd hardly left Jack's bedside for days, apart from comfort breaks and when Bobby came to visit. Even with her eyes closed, she could still see the blips making their jumpy but rhythmic way across the monitors; it was almost hypnotic yet both comforting and terrifying at the same time. For the first forty-eight hours after they'd brought him back from surgery she hadn't dared look away, barely allowing herself to blink for fear that something might happen and almost convincing herself that she could keep them going by sheer willpower alone.

His life signs had been stable for some time now and the medical team had appeared to be more optimistic on their last visit, so she'd decided to allow herself a short nap, setting her BlackBerry to vibrate and waken her in twenty minutes. Taking his hand in hers again she closed her eyes.

Something woke her before her alarm went off and she immediately checked the screens then glanced around the room, her confusion growing when she realised nothing had changed. Sighing she returned to her vigil, gasping aloud when she found herself looking into bemused brown eyes that were dulled by pain.

"Hi." She reached over to brush the hair from his forehead desperate for some kind of contact to be sure that what she was seeing was real and not just a dream; her tears, never far away, welling up once more.

"Hi." The dryness in his throat made his voice sound hoarse. "What hit me?"

"Excuse me?"

"I hurt all over. I hope you got the licence of the truck." He tried to smile but it turned into a grimace.

"It wasn't a truck."

"A bus, then..?"

"No." She stood up. "I need to let them know you're awake."

"'kay,"

She watched as he drifted back to sleep then went to find the nurse before calling Bobby.

o-xxx-o


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Hi everyone! Sorry for the long delay in posting anything, 2012 is definitely turning out not to be my year :-( Anyway, I hope that some of you have stuck with my stories and I thank you for your patience. Enjoy!

o-xxx-o

Jack was vaguely aware of things going on around him and that he was still in the hospital but in his dream state he'd been to many different places, some he recognised, others he didn't and he'd looked on faces from both past and present but the one thing that stood out was the white room. It almost felt as though he'd visited Heaven but that was crazy, wasn't it? He could feel soft fingertips caressing his cheek… his grandmother? She'd often… He opened his eyes, expecting to see her stooping over him but as he did the hand was quickly withdrawn and he found himself staring up at a vision with long blonde hair and a beautiful smile and for a moment he thought he really was there, being tended by an angel. Blinking away some of the fog from his brain, he smiled at the woman who was regarding him curiously.

"Welcome back."

"Thanks. I guess I fell asleep before we could finish our conversation."

Sue shook her head. "What conversation?"

"The one about what hit me..." he prompted, surprised that she could have forgotten so quickly.

Pulling the chair closer to the bed she sat down and took his hand. "Jack, that was five days ago."

"What?" In his confusion, he tried to sit upright and then fell back against the pillows, his face creased with pain. "Note to self… Don't do that again."

"Are you alright?"

"Fine..." The word came out as a hiss.

"You're sure? You need me to get someone?"

With an effort he brought the smile back to his face. "I'm okay." He assured her giving her hand a squeeze. "So, what happened?"

"What do you remember?"

Jack took a breath. "Witness statements and stopping off for something to eat. We were going back to the car, we turned the corner and then… nothing…"

"Do you remember the couple who were arguing in the café?"

"Vaguely, although I couldn't pick them out of a line-up… Why?"

"Because the guy was waiting for us and he- he shot you."

"Great... What did I do to deserve that?"

"Nothing," her eyes clouded with tears and she nibbled on her bottom lip.

"Sue? Hold on, you said he was waiting for _us_. Did he hurt you?"

"No."

"Thank God." She was clearly upset and his eyes searched her face worriedly. "**You okay**?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what..?"

"Maybe if I'd been doing what I was trained for and paying more attention to what was going on instead of joking around, I would have seen him."

"And done what?"

"I don't know but perhaps I could have… I couldn't hear the gun. I didn't know you'd been shot until the paramedic pushed me out of the way. If I had, then maybe I could have done something to help and you wouldn't have almost died. I was supposed to be your partner and…"

He squeezed her hand again and waited for her to look at him. "Sue, stop please. None of this was your fault, I'm a trained field agent and even I didn't see it coming or hear the gunshot for that matter."

"But…"

"No buts… No one could have prevented what happened, not Bobby or Myles or D... We're a great team Thomas and I wouldn't have it any other way." He paused for a moment and when he started to speak again his voice was hesitant and uncertain. "And I think you did help me… You stopped me going through the wrong door."

"I don't understand."

"I'm not sure I do either, but when I…" He came to an abrupt halt as one of the nursing staff entered the room and asked her to leave so that his dressings could be changed. "Sue, I need to talk to you about what happened to me. There were so many images… I don't know whether I was dreaming or not but I think you're the one person who might be able to help me sort it all out in my head. You'll come back?" There was a pleading, almost desperate edge to his voice.

"As soon as they'll let me..."

"**Thank you**."

o-xxx-o

By the time he woke again the light was beginning to disappear from outside, indicating that it was early evening and he'd been out for hours. Looking to his right he smiled softly when he saw she was curled up in the chair and looking decidedly uncomfortable but before he could reach out to her, she opened her eyes and stretched, smiling when she saw him watching her.

"Sorry, I must have fallen asleep."

"There's a lot of that going around. I tried to stay awake until you came back but I guess I lost the battle."

"That's okay. You need to rest and the extra sedation they gave you probably isn't out of your system yet."

"Extra sedation..?"

"Mmm hmm… When you came round from the anaesthetic the doctors were worried that the trauma of being shot along with the surgery might put too much strain on your heart so they wanted to keep you as quiet and still as possible."

"My heart..?"

"Jack, we almost lost you. They had to use the def… de… D-E-F-I-B-R-I-L-L-A-T-O-R to bring you back," she shuddered involuntarily.

"That probably explains why it feels like an elephant's been jumping up and down on my chest. Everything's okay now though, right?" He asked worriedly.

"Yes. It was just a precaution." He let out a relieved sigh. "So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

Jack started his explanation somewhat nervously, not knowing what her reaction would be, but when she didn't laugh he went into it more deeply, describing the white room, the two doors, his friends and relatives and by the time he'd finished the exhaustion was visible on his face.

"Perhaps you should go back to sleep for a while, we can talk later."

"No, please, I need to know what you think. You're the only one I can ask about something like this. The things you believe in, I knew you'd understand."

She took his hand in hers and held it lightly. "I think… you're a very lucky man, Jack Hudson. You came close to death, too close…" She added quietly. "And I believe you were offered a choice. God was telling you that it wasn't your time to go but if you chose to then it was okay with Him. He understood."

"I wanted to," he confessed almost sadly. "I wanted to see my grandmother again, talk to her. I almost went through that door but there was something holding me back… I can't explain it… A hand holding mine just like this," he lifted them in the air. "And not letting go… Wanting me to stay… And it wasn't always the same one. In the end that proved stronger than anything else… And there were candles…" His eyes drifted shut again and when she was sure he was asleep, Sue slipped out of the room and across the road to the church.

o-xxx-o

**One Month Later:**

The room he'd been transferred into had been a vast improvement on CCU but apart from the guard, who he saw periodically when the door opened and closed, he was still pretty much isolated from the rest of the world. He knew it was for his own protection but he seriously doubted that after all this time, his assailant would come back to finish the job; he was probably long gone. The visits from the rest of the team served to cheer him up but the downside was that _she_ didn't come to see him quite as often and he missed her. He'd grown used to seeing her when he opened his eyes in the morning, watching her as she slept and their friendship seemed to him to have grown and deepened. When he'd first moved from Critical Care to a more general ward, he still hadn't been well enough to receive visitors so she'd continued her vigils at his bedside and when he couldn't sleep they'd talked… a lot… about anything and everything. She'd told him what it was like for her growing up in Ohio and in turn he'd described his life in Wisconsin… His home, his favourite places, he'd even gone into great detail about the fort he'd built himself down on the riverbank where he'd go to be alone as a child and later to do his thinking as a man. She'd asked if it was still there and it had brought home just how long it had been since he'd gone back and really looked around. Christmases didn't count because they were usually spent inside his parents' house but he'd never taken the time to just wander through his old haunts. That had started him thinking and he'd come to a decision but he wasn't sure how to tell her.

"Hi!"

Her voice startled him out of his introspection and he turned away from the window to face her. "Hi." Smiling he sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I can see you're feeling better."

"Much, thank you. In fact, they're talking about kicking me out of here in a few days."

"That's great." She crossed over to sit in the chair.

"I think so."

"So, what's the first thing you're going to do?"

"Order a pizza with extra cheese."

Sue rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress a laugh. "Besides that..?"

"Go home."

"**Smart thinking**." His face grew serious and Sue stared at him, her brow furrowed.

"Sue, I don't mean home here, I'm going back to Wisconsin."

"Oh," she hoped the disappointment she felt didn't show. "Well, it will probably do you good to spend time with your family… When will you back?"

Jack blew out a calming breath, knowing that it was time to make his confession. "I'm not sure I'm coming back."

Lost for words she just stared at him, tears pricking at the backs of her eyes.

"You remember when I had my heart attack, I told you that it made me think about all the things I had and hadn't been doing?"

"Yes." Her voice was quiet.

"I'd planned to take some time out then but instead I returned to work and it all got swept aside somehow but I've realised over the past few weeks that I need to step away, look at my life… I hope you understand. It's important to me that you do."

"I guess I do. Have you told D?"

"Yes, he's arranging a leave-of-absence for me. It shouldn't be too much of a problem considering all this."

"Are you going to tell the rest of the team?" She hoped she sounded more cheerful than she felt.

"No, D will do that."

"They'll miss you." Her eyes dropped to the floor and he reached over, using a single finger to tilt her chin so she could see his lips.

"What about you? Will you miss me?"

"You know I will." Despite her best efforts her bottom lip started to tremble.

"Then come with me."

"What?" She stared at him as though he'd just grown an extra head or something.

"Come with me. Let me show you all those places we've talked about. I'll even allow you into my secret fort if it's still there."

"Jack, I can't. It's impossible."

"Why? I know you have vacation time owing and compulsory leave to recover from what happened."

"I have plans. I promised my Mom I'd go back to Ohio for a while and there are the rules, we'd be breaking them."

"Not if I don't come back to work."

"Then there's Levi, I can't just…"

"Sue, he can come with us. My parents love dogs."

Had he just offered to take her home to meet his Mom and Dad? One part of her was convinced she'd read him wrong while the other was terrified that she hadn't. "Jack I can't, I'm sorry but I can't..." Getting to her feet, she picked up her purse and practically ran from the room.

o-xxx-o


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Thank you to those of you who took the time to review, as always it really is much appreciated. I'm a bit undecided as to whether to make this the last chapter or do one more, especially as there doesn't appear to be much interest in this story anyway. Maybe it's time for me to finish both this and 'Remember Me', put away my pen and give up writing for a while? I do have a few other plots running around in my head but I'll have to give it some thought. In the meantime, enjoy!

o-xxx-o

"Okay, that's it!" Lucy shot up out of her chair making Sue jump in the process.

"Is something wrong?"

"I think that should be my question."

"Excuse me?"

"Have I done something to upset you?"

Sue looked at her in surprise. "No… Why?"

"You've been moping around here for the past week or more. You're picking at your food and hardly saying a word all evening and I can't stand it any longer. So I'm going into the kitchen to make two mugs of hot chocolate and when I come back you're going to tell me what's bothering you." She walked to the door and then turned. "And don't even think about disappearing into your room while I'm gone, I'm getting to the bottom of this even if I have to call Troy to break down your door to do it."

When she returned she put the drinks down onto the coffee table and sat beside her friend on the couch. "Alright, what's up..? Her question was greeted with silence. "I'm not giving up until I find out and remember I learned my interrogation techniques from the best." She'd hoped for a smile but none came. "Is it work? The counselling sessions..? O.P.R. still giving you grief..?"

"No."

"The impending visit to your parents' then..."

"No."

Lucy sighed and shook her head. "Okay, well that only leaves… Jack." The woman beside her remained quiet but her expression said it all. "You're not still beating yourself up over what happened?"

"No." The answer was a little less convincing this time.

"Sue, how many times do you need to be told that it wasn't your fault? He doesn't blame you, does he?"

"No."

The rotor looked Heavenward, almost praying for some sort of divine guidance. "Then, what..? The doctors seem pleased with his progress… He's going to be okay, right?" She asked, suddenly worried.

"Yes."

At least she'd gotten a different response that time. "Thank God. And he'll be coming back to work, real soon?"

Sue just stared at her.

"Well okay, obviously he has some healing to do first but knowing Jack, he won't be able to stay away from the bullpen for very long and in the meantime you can go visit him at his apartment." She paused. "Although, come to think of it, you haven't been to see him at all lately… You two didn't have a fight?"

"Not really…"

Finally Lucy felt as though she was making some headway. "Sue, I'm sure it's nothing you can't work out, you always have before. Why don't you take him for a meal or something? When he's feeling better, that is… Tara and I are already planning his surprise party."

"He's going home to Wisconsin."

"Oh, I didn't know that… but he'll be coming back."

It had been more of a statement than a question but Sue couldn't keep things to herself any longer. "He doesn't know." She whispered softly.

"What do you mean, he doesn't know? He's not thinking of transferring there permanently?"

"He might not be working for the F.B.I. at all."

"What?"

"He said he needs time away."

"Is that all? After everything he's been through, I'm not surprised. He'll be back, you'll see," she searched her friend's face not liking the message it was portraying. "Unless of course, you know more than you're letting on?"

Sue sniffled. "He died, Luce… in the ambulance and on the table. They had to resuscitate him at least three times. I… We came…" She raised her hand, the tip of her thumb and forefinger only a hair's-breadth apart. "…this close to losing him. He saw that light everyone talks about on those television programmes you watch and there was more… I'm sorry but I can't tell you all of it, the things he described to me were far too personal."

"It's okay, I understand" she patted the other woman's arm reassuringly. "You don't believe he'll come back, do you?"

Sue shook her head and Lucy twisted round to pick up the phone. "What are you going to do?"

"Call Bobby, if anyone can talk some sense into him, he can."

"Luce, please don't."

"Why, not..?"

"Because, if I'd known you were going to do that I wouldn't have said anything. This has to stay **between us**, it's Jack's decision and he needs to make it on his own."

Reluctantly, she replaced the receiver. "You're saying we should just let him go without telling anyone? Bobby's been his friend for ever, it seems wrong not to let him know what Jack's planning… and, what about you? I can't believe he'd just leave… not after… I always hoped that one day…"

"I know what you hoped," Sue interrupted.

"How could he?" Her voice was sharp but that was down to shock more than annoyance. "If anyone had asked I would never have said that he'd be the one to break up the team, Myles maybe but not Jack. I have a good mind to go round there myself and…"

"No!" Sue looked appalled. "If you do **I never forgive you**."

"What about you..? What are you going to do without him?"

"We were just friends Luce and friends often move away from one another."

"Sorry, I'm not buying it. There has to be more to it…"

"He asked me to go with him." It was spoken quietly, as though she hadn't really meant to say it out loud.

"He, what..?"

"Asked me to go with him..."

Lucy's mood changed in a heartbeat and she could barely contain her excitement. "Yes! And you're going, right? That's what you were worried about… You didn't know how to tell me!" For the first time she noticed the other woman's face. "You said 'no'."

"Luce, how can I go?"

"Easily, you pack a bag for yourself and Levi, jump on a plane with the guy you've been in love with almost since the day you first met him and fly off into the sunset."

"This isn't one of your bad romance novels and I told you before, we're just friends."

"Okay, if that's all there is to it, then why did you refuse to leave his side all the time he was in the CCU when you could have just visited like the rest of us? Why did he share with you all the intimate details of what happened to him? And why do you light up like a Christmas tree every time he walks into the room? Why do you get jealous whenever another woman comes onto the scene and why is he the same way when you show an interest in another guy? Sue, you two were made for each other anyone can see that, even Myles."

"Myles..?"

"Long story... Go with him, you owe it to yourself to find out if it'll work between you. You'll regret it for the rest of your life, if you don't."

"It's not that easy."

"Why?"

"There's the F.B.I. regulations… we'd be breaking them."

"Not if he doesn't come back."

"That's what he said." She sighed.

"If Jack's not worried, why should you be?"

"What if he decides after a while that he wants to come back? We might not be able to work in the same unit anymore, if… And anyway, I can't just drop everything and fly to Wisconsin."

"Why not..? You already moved from Ohio to D.C."

"That was different."

"How..?"

"Then I had just me to worry about but now I have responsibilities. I have to think about you and Levi and…"

"Sue, I've always wanted you and Jack to be together."

"Really..? You never said." She rolled her eyes, smiling for the first time in days but it was short-lived.

"And as for Levi… I'm sure they have trees in Wisconsin and parks and woods to explore…"

"He wants me to meet his parents."

"Wow, this is serious!" She was teasing but Sue didn't see the funny side. "Okay, so what's the problem?"

"They don't _know_ me. They might not _like_ me."

"Sue, I'm sure he's told them all about you."

"Yes but as a co-worker, it's a whole different thing their son having a deaf girlfriend. What if they don't think I'm good enough for him? Remember, Allie's and Jack's parents are friends and I'm sure they had hopes for them to be together."

"He doesn't love Allie." Lucy took her hand. "Just for a moment, forget the F.B.I., forget me, forget what his parent's might or might not think of you and answer one question... honestly… Are you in love with him?"

Sue's eyes filled with tears and she nibbled on her bottom lip. "Does it matter? It's too late anyway, he leaves in two days."

"How do you know that?"

"He texted me this afternoon"

"What did he say?"

Reaching over the arm of the couch she picked up her purse, took out her BlackBerry, brought up the message and passed it to her. "I didn't read it all."

"His flight's not until late afternoon. He says he's bought a ticket for you. You can pick up it up at the desk if you change your mind and he's made arrangements with the airline for Levi, just in case. Sue, he wouldn't go to all that trouble if he only thought of you as a friend."

"But what if after we get there he realises he made a mistake? Gets fed up with having to explain to people that I'm deaf and they have to look at me when they speak or his parents might resent him being with someone like me. I wouldn't want to come between them. And what if because of it we lose what we already have?"

"There were an awful lot of 'what ifs' in there and anyway, haven't we been here before? You used the same excuses when we were talking about sharing a place together and it all worked out okay…"

Sue stood abruptly. "This isn't the same Luce and you know it. No, I'm going to visit my parents the way I planned and that's all there is to it."

"I know you're scared, but…"

"I'm not scared, I'm just being realistic."

"Then shouldn't you at least go and say goodbye to him? Make things right between you? After all, once he leaves, you may never see him again… Do you really want it to end like this?"

o-xxx-o

The airport departure lounge was less busy than he'd expected and he'd found a seat by the window almost adjacent to the boarding gate. He knew it was probably because he'd got there earlier than he normally would but he hadn't wanted to hurry, despite all the rest he'd had things still ached if he pushed himself too hard. Bobby, of course, would have had another explanation for the lack of people… he could almost hear him now.

~ It's simple Sparks, who in their right mind would want to forsake this seething metropolis for the wilds of cow country, only a total galah like you, mate. Now, the Caribbean I could understand; got all four 'S's… sun, sea, sand… and beautiful sheilas in tiny bikinis… ~

_Bobby_… He hoped his friend would understand why he'd done what he had and forgive him one day, once he'd got passed being angry that was. D would be breaking the news in about an hour, after he was safely on his way and it was too late talk him out of leaving, because he knew that if Bobby set his mind to it, he was the one person who could, well apart from… but that wasn't likely to happen, not now.

She'd looked so miserable when he'd told her that he'd really started to believe she felt the same way about him as he did her, so he'd taken the chance… Tried to let her know how much he cared without actually saying it but instead of falling into his arms, she'd run… as far and as fast as she could in the opposite direction. She hadn't been in touch since and it appeared now as though all he'd succeeded in doing was ruining the friendship that had kept him going even when just the simple act of breathing had seemed too hard. It was just one more reason for him to get away…

More passengers were beginning to arrive so he grabbed his flight bag off the chair next to him, wincing as he did so and put it down on the floor out of the way. Both the hurt and the weather matched his mood perfectly. Outside it was warm and sunny, like the prospect of returning home but the residual ache from his injuries captured perfectly his feelings of guilt for deserting the team and her.

Boarding was announced over the loudspeaker system and the people around him immediately started to form a line to the desk. He remained where he was, waiting for the crush to die down and looking at the sea of faces… some happy, some expectant and one or two a little teary eyed as they filed past him. He'd ignored the first call but the second sounded more compelling and glancing around he saw that he was virtually alone. Sighing, he bent down slowly to pick up his bag, pulling his hand back startled when he felt something warm and wet touching it and then a paw appeared on his knee.

"Levi, hey Buddy." Getting to his feet he turned, grinning in relief when he saw her standing a few yards away. "Hi." For some unfathomable reason he could feel tears pricking at the backs of his eyes and he swallowed hard several times to clear them.

"Hi, yourself…"

He felt a pang of disappointment when he noticed she didn't have any cases with her but she _had_ come to see him off and that was something… The final call sounded and he knew he'd run out of time, he signed to her so that she understood.

"**Then we should go**."

"We..?" His voice faltered slightly as he watched her retrieve a shoulder-bag that had been hidden from view by a row of seats.

"Levi and I had a long talk and he told me that while he enjoyed going to Ohio, he'd always wanted to visit at least one dog park in all fifty states and he thought Wisconsin might be a good place to start and I didn't want to disappoint him, so, if the offer's still open..."

"Mmm… I might need to think about that…"

She pinned him with an exasperated glare and Jack gave her one of his spectacular smiles before bending down in another attempt to pick up his bag.

"No, I'll carry that."

"Thanks."

"Welcome." She hooked it over her shoulder with her own. "Will you take Levi, for me?"

"Of course," accepting the leash from her he held it in his right hand while his left automatically strayed to the small of her back. "Shall we, Ms Thomas?"

"Whenever you're ready, Sparky..." She replied with a smile of her own, her free hand sliding around his waist.

Jack held her more tightly against him. "There are so many places I want to share with you…"

o-xxx-o

**A/N2:** To go on or not to go on, that be the question :-D


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Firstly let me say a big **THANK YOU** for all of your kind words of encouragement some of which I'll be answering personally very shortly. It's been a bit of a rough year for me so far but, fingers-crossed, I'm hoping it's taking a turn for the better and anyway, I'd hate to let everyone down by not finishing both of my current stories, so...

Secondly, this was supposed to be the final chapter but since it seemed to be growing to epic proportions, I've decided to split it into two. Sadly, I know nothing about the state of Wisconsin, (I've visited over 30 others but not this one), so I've kept the story-line general

o-xxx-o

Opening her eyes Sue stretched languorously, having allowed herself an extra half-hour in bed before getting up to face another work day. It was a habit she'd adopted lately and thankfully Levi respected it, for the most part anyway. Ever since she'd stepped onto that plane so many months ago, her feet hadn't seemed to touch the ground. She felt as though she'd been caught in a whirlwind with barely enough time to catch her breath between rotations and she loved every minute of it... Well, almost every minute…

Meeting Jack's parents hadn't been as much of an ordeal as she'd expected, awkward at times - definitely, but not disastrous. His mother and father had welcomed her with open arms until they'd realised she was far more to their son than just a co-worker and friend, that was. Having had years of experience she'd noticed the change in temperature almost immediately, Jack, on the other hand, had taken longer to pick up on it but as soon as he had, he'd offered to find them both somewhere else to stay. From the very beginning, it had been one of the things she'd feared the most but, as ill-at-ease as she'd felt, there was no way she was going to create friction within the Hudson household by taking him away from them. It had been obvious by the way they'd greeted him when he'd arrived just how close they were as a family, despite living hundreds of miles apart and she'd been determined to stick-it-out, for his sake.

The times they'd spent alone together had been wonderful however, and had more than made up for her discomfort and he certainly hadn't been exaggerating when he'd told her that he had lots to show her… By the time her visit had come to an end, almost ten weeks later, she'd felt as though she knew every part of his hometown as well as she did her own. He'd shown her where he went to school and the ice hockey rink where he'd realised he wasn't destined to play professionally… The house his grandmother had lived in, they'd even visited her grave so that he could 'introduce' them and leave flowers but the really fun times had been spent down by the river.

It had come as a shock to him that she'd already known how to cast a fishing line, courtesy of her brothers, but he'd teased her mercilessly when she'd made him bait all the hooks. Later they'd wandered hand-in-hand to his favourite spot under a wonderful old tree to eat lunch and he'd confessed that one of his greatest regrets in life was never having seen the view from the top because of his fear of heights. The petrified look on his face as she'd smiled down at him, while precariously perched on one of the higher branches taking photographs, would remain permanently etched in her memory. She hadn't realised just how badly she'd scared him until he'd reached up to help her down and she'd felt his hands shaking while his heart seemed to be trying to hammer its way out of his chest… He'd been out-of-sorts for the rest of the day and by dinnertime, she'd begun to think that maybe she'd outstayed her welcome but he'd come outside as she'd sat on the porch swing with Levi at her feet, settled beside her and apologised. They'd shared their first real kiss that evening and the next day they'd visited his beloved, somewhat neglected fort, which they'd spent most of the afternoon repairing while Levi played by the waters' edge, splashing around contentedly and chasing anything that moved. By the time they'd been ready to go home, his golden coat had been caked in mud and as punishment, she'd made Jack give him a bath, laughing uncontrollably when the dog had shaken himself dry, soaking him through in the process. He'd grinned at her mischievously and she'd known immediately that she was in trouble, a suspicion that was confirmed when he'd turned the hose in her direction and they'd all ended up drenched while his parents had looked on bemused.

Jack himself, had gone from strength-to-strength… When they'd first arrived even simple things like walking to the shops had exhausted him but by the time she'd left, he'd been running again to improve his stamina and was almost back to his old self, at least physically… Mentally, he'd still seemed fragile and uncertain. In the quiet time late at night after the rest of the household had gone to bed, they'd talked more about his experiences or rather he'd talked and she'd listened, putting in a word of comfort here and there. It was something that in the end she knew he'd have to accept and move on from, but after all his years in law enforcement his mind was just too analytical. It wasn't going to be laid to rest that way, it had to be taken on faith alone without benefit of evidence and it was proving problematic for him. Those were the times that had made her feel special, knowing that he'd shared his most personal thoughts with her and no one else, not even his parents who could see he was struggling with some kind of inner turmoil and had offered to help. He'd just tell them he was fine and make some weak joke about his lapses in concentration but they all knew it wasn't true.

The night before she'd been due to leave, his mother had taken her to one side and apologised for her behaviour towards her. She'd cited all the reasons for her doubts and concerns but then gone on to say how wrong she'd been. She'd watched them and had seen how happy she made her son. How good they were together and how obvious it was that they were in love. Of course, Sue had tried to deny it but her protests had been unconvincing because they simply weren't true. She did love him very much but as hard as she'd tried, she hadn't been able to see a future for them. Her life was in D.C. and she loved her F.B.I. job, somehow she couldn't imagine herself living anywhere else. …And Jack..? Only God knew where his future lay and He hadn't chosen to share, at least not then.

She'd been back to Wisconsin several times, including very recently, returning only a couple of weeks ago and…

Levi was starting to worry the brand new covers and afraid he might tear them, she reluctantly abandoned her musings, slid out of bed and made her way to the bathroom to shower and get ready for work, her mood taking a nosedive when she thought about what was to come.

It had been a year to the day since Jack had been shot and the Team had never really recovered from his leaving, in fact, one of their temporary assignees had assumed he'd died from the way they all spoke about him… At first there had been a sense of optimism that he _would_ return but as the weeks stretched into months without any word, hopes had begun to fade and then Tara, who had been doing some research on one of his old cases, had accidentally discovered that Jackson Samuel Hudson was no longer listed in the directory as an 'active' Federal Agent. Sue had known for a while as had Lucy but the others had been completely oblivious and she'd had to endure the seemingly never-ending speculation on Myles' part, along with Bobby's understandable yet misplaced anger towards his best friend. She'd been desperate to defend him but knew she couldn't. He wouldn't have wanted everything he'd been going through made public and the reasons for his 'inactive' status had had to remain confidential.

o-xxx-o

When she walked into the bullpen everything was as she'd anticipated only worse… Monday morning worse…

The Team that had been consistently rated as one of the best was slowly disintegrating and no one seemed to know how to turn it around. Tara was under her headphones as usual and sometimes Sue wondered if it was more out of self-preservation than necessity, Lucy waved in greeting before signing to warn her that Bobby and Myles were on each other's cases again and Dimitrius it seemed was sequestered in his office. Sighing, she quickly and quietly removed her jacket and hung it up before sitting down at her desk and booting her computer, in the hope that the two Agents wouldn't notice her arrival but it wasn't to be.

"Another half-day Thomas..?" Myles inquired sarcastically.

"No, I…"

"Oh, give it a break. It's only fifteen minutes, for Pete's sake! G'day, Sue… Levi… And how are you on this damp and overcast Monday morning?"

"We're fine thanks."

"Well, that makes one of us."

"Pay no attention to him. He's just miffed because he's got to do some work for a change."

"I believe D handed out extra assignments to everyone and not just me… Everyone who was courteous enough to show up on time, that is... And anyway, I have no problem with filling my own work quota, I do, however, object to finishing other people's, especially…" He held up a stack of handwritten notes, "…when it's as badly put together as this."

"We all have our crosses to bear, mate."

"Thanks to you…"

"Look…" Picking up a pencil he waved it at the man across the desk, threateningly.

"We're all doing our fair share, we just need more help." Tara put in from her desk by the door.

"You mean like those last drongos they sent us?"

They'd had three replacements in the past eight months but none had lasted more than a few weeks before putting in for transfers. D had been so angry after the last one that he'd flatly refused to request another.

"Maybe, if you'd given them a chance to settle in before telling them they were useless at their jobs…" Myles began but Manning cut him off.

"Excuse me but you didn't exactly cut them any slack either and at least mine was constructive criticism, not a twenty minute lecture on when to use a semi-colon and when to use a comma!"

"Grammar happens to be a very important consideration when writing…"

"It's a report not a literary masterpiece, Harvard!"

"Perhaps we could all have been a little more welcoming," Tara interjected again.

"You think that would have helped? They were completely useless."

Sue spoke up at last, "No, they just weren't Jack."

The Aussie's expression darkened. "Maybe not but they did have one thing in common with him, they all shot through without even a 'goodbye'."

"Bobby, that's not fair, Jack almost died. You can't blame him for…"

"I know, I know…Sorry Luce, sorry guys, I guess I must have got out of bed on the wrong side this morning."

"And slammed right into the wall by the sounds of it..." The Bostonian added sarcastically.

"It's being stuck inside." The rotor observed.

"And too much work…" Tara added.

"It's the day." Sue whispered quietly and no one had the heart to argue. This was one anniversary they all wished they could forget.

o-xxx-o


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Okay, so I know I said this would be the last chapter but I've changed my mind. ;-D Hopefully my reasons will become clear when the final words are written. In the meantime, thank you so much for all the reviews and enjoy!

o-xxx-o

Shortly after they all returned from lunch, D strode into the bullpen, a serious expression on his face. "Sue," he waved a hand in her direction but receiving no response, asked Levi to let her know he was speaking.

"Dimitrius, hi, was there something you wanted?"

"Yes, I need to see you in my office before you leave this evening."

"Should she be worried?" Bobby asked curiously.

"He's probably going to give her detention for being late, yet again." Myles stated sarcastically.

"Or, make her stand in the corner for an hour."

"Or write lines on the blackboard." Tara offered.

While the Supervisor was pleased to see that the office banter had returned, at least for the present, he had more to say. "If you could all pay attention for a moment, I have an announcement."

"Uh-oh, here we go." The Aussie groaned.

"It's not that bad. I just wanted to let you know that another Agent will be joining the team very shortly."

Now both men groaned. "Please don't tell me it's another, wet-behind-the-ears, fresh out of Quantico, know-it-all..."

"And I'd appreciate it if you could all give him a fair go this time… That is unless you want to continue working short-handed until you all retire." D warned, ignoring the barbed comments.

"Well let's hope this one knows what he's doing." Bobby sighed.

"And that he has at least some command of the Queen's English."

"You mean like me, mate?"

"A slip of the tongue… I meant to say, let's hope he has a grasp of rudimentary English – unlike you lot from the colonies."

"Don't forget, the good old US of A was a colony at one time, too. Oh D, can you make sure he can actually hit what he's aiming at? I'm fed up with running for cover every time one of them pulls a gun."

"And they're computer savvy." Tara chirped in, raising her hand.

"And, he doesn't think that rotors are just the office slaves"

"You mean they're not?" Myles asked in mock-surprise earning his self a sour look.

"Enough!" D's voice silenced them immediately. "He's been an Agent for as long as we have, longer than some and I think he easily fills _all_ those criteria."

"Good looking?" Tara asked hopefully then blushed.

"Single?" Lucy added.

"Good looking? No idea. Single? Afraid not… married. No kids."

"You mean he's boring," Bobby moaned.

"If I wasn't secure in my own skin… I might take that as an insult."

"I think it was meant as one." Myles observed.

"There's nothing wrong with being boring."

"Who's boring?" A familiar voice had them all turning towards the doorway. Tara jumped up out of her chair and gave the new arrival a hug, closely followed by Lucy while Sue just stared in amazement and Bobby remained where he was, not sure whether to join in with the welcome or deck him.

"And I thought Thomas was tardy."

"It's good to see you too, Myles."

Sue finally managed to shake herself out of her stupor and walked towards him.

"Hi."

"Yeah, hi…"

"**Talk later**."

"**Count on it**."

Taking a few steps forward, Jack stood in front of his best friend who was still seated. "Crash…" He held out a hand for what seemed like an age until Bobby made his decision and stood up, taking it and pulling him into a bear hug.

"It's good to see you, mate."

"You too and I'm sorry about not keeping in touch."

"Forget it Sparky, we all have."

"Thanks."

"No problem-o. So, what brings you back into this neck of the woods? Finally got bored with the Dairy State?"

"No."

"Well I have to say retirement suits you, you're looking good. Much better than when I saw you last."

"I feel good, great, in fact… Did you say retirement?"

"Come on Sparks, you didn't think you could get that little snippet by us, did you?"

"I didn't say he was retired, I said he was listed as inactive." Tara clarified in an attempt to defend herself.

"Same, difference" he shrugged.

"Not exactly…" Jack tried to help her out. "And 'was' is the operative word here." Before his friend could continue his cross-examination, D called him out into the corridor.

"Hey, you don't suppose he's our new team member, do you?" The petite Agent asked excitedly.

"He certainly fits all the criteria." Bobby agreed.

"Weren't any of you listening?" Myles sighed in exasperation. "D said the new guy was married, remember?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot." Their buoyant mood deflated in an instant.

The conversation outside was brief but before Jack could return, Sue was out of the door and signing at him furiously.

"Is it my imagination or have Sparks' signing abilities improved?"

"What? where?" Both Lucy and Tara came over to join him and he shuffled along so that they could all perch on the edge of the desk.

"You two are pretty good at ASL. Wanna tell us what's going on?"

"Looks like a disagreement to me." Tara shrugged. "Sorry, it's too fast."

"Luce?"

"You really expect me to spy on my best friend?"

"Why not..? He is…" Myles snorted.

"Come on, Luce, share."

"No can do, sorry."

"Looks like Sparky is too… he's made the **sorry **sign at least three times. You know if Levi had a doghouse, he'd probably be in it."

"I just hope she doesn't drive him away again." Myles muttered.

"Now there's something we can agree on." He stopped and made a show of banging his left ear with the palm of his hand.

"Now what's wrong?" The Bostonian asked irritably.

"I think I must be having trouble with my hearing."

"Why?"

"I can hear you lot and the people passing by outside but not Jack. His mouth is definitely moving but I'm not picking up a blessed word."

"That's because he's not actually saying anything."

"Yeah, right…"

Myles looked Heavenward. "Thomas is deaf."

"You don't say? I never would have guessed if you hadn't told me."

"Therefore, she can't hear the words she just reads lips so..."

"He's miming? That's cheating."

"Maybe, but you have to admit it's effective."

A few more silent exchanges and they were all smiles again. Bobby looked to his right in time to witness Lucy grinning like the proverbial Cheshire Cat.

"What? What just happened?"

"All I got was something about rings," Tara shrugged.

"Rings..?"

"Lord, give me strength." The other male Agent muttered.

"What? You think you know something we don't, Harvard?"

"No, but I believe Ms Dotson here does."

The couple walked back into the bullpen and Lucy signed to Sue who immediately crossed to her desk, picked up her purse and took something out. She gave the mystery objects to Jack while the rest of the Team looked on in confusion. Myles finally got to his feet and walked over to join them.

"I believe congratulations are in order." Shaking Jack by the hand he turned to his fellow sleuths. "Come on people, they're married."

Sue took the opportunity to hold out her left hand. "Want to put them back on for me?"

"Absolutely…"

"Thomas… I mean, Hudson… Sorry, but that's never going to work, much too confusing. I'm afraid you're going to have to stick with your maiden name."

"I intended too, at work."

"Wise woman," Bobby grinned, the penny having finally dropped. "You don't want word getting out that your judgement's going south, it could affect your standing in the Bureau. Congratulations Sparky, it's about time."

"Thanks."

"And you too Sue," he turned to give her a hug but couldn't get close enough as the other women oohed-and-aahed over her engagement ring. "I'll give you a kiss later, when the old man's not around."

"Oh you will, will you?"

"Most definitely, mate. I may have missed out on being your best man but I still get to snog the bride. And by the way Sue, if I ever need someone to share a confidence with, you'll be top of my list. You played it like a pro."

"Or Lucy, she can keep a secret too."

"You knew about this?"

The rotor just grinned.

"Okay, who else..?" He looked around the room but no one put their hand up.

"Just D," Jack assured him.

"So, does this mean you'll be working with us again, or not?"

"First thing Wednesday morning…"

Tara cheered loudly then looked embarrassed. "Sorry."

"Why not today? I know it's been a year and you're probably a bit rusty but any help is better than no help at all."

"Gee thanks."

"So, how about it..?"

"Sorry Crash, I only flew in from Wisconsin a couple of hours ago and I haven't even seen my newly redecorated apartment yet."

"You let a woman decorate your apartment?"

"Two women," Sue corrected, putting her arm round Lucy's shoulders.

"Geez mate, have I taught you nothing? I can just see it now… Pink bedroom, walls covered in that shiny white wallpaper with the little roses on it… Silly little froufrou cushions everywhere and lace… lots of lace… and with a bathroom to match, I'll bet. All your stuff banished to basement storage and absolutely no closet space."

"I had no idea you were such a chauvinist." The rotor stared at him in surprise.

"More like a misogynist," Myles added, re-joining the conversation.

"A, what..?" Sue looked to Jack for clarification but he just shrugged.

"Woman hater," the Harvard man clarified.

"Hey, I love women… Just wouldn't let them run loose in my private sanctum. A man's home is his castle, after all."

"I trust Sue. She'd never… Would you?" Jack asked suddenly worried.

"No," she stressed the word making it sound as though it should be followed by a 'not exactly'.

"Uh-oh..." Bobby grinned at his friend.

"You do like purple, orange and gold though, right?" Lucy queried.

Jack cringed and Sue put her hands on her hips. "I distinctly remember you saying, when we shared the house together during our undercover, that you liked ethnic tones."

"Earth tones..! I said I liked earth tones."

"Oh… **sorry**" It was her turn to cringe as she worried her bottom lip. "I must have misread your lips."

"Don't worry, Sparks, I'm sure you'll learn to live with it. Sunglasses and a few beers will probably help and if not, I have a spare room you can use."

"I have a question," Tara raised her hand. "If you're coming back to work, does that mean Sue's leaving?"

"No, she'll be here too."

"But what about the no-fraternization policy..?"

"Who's fraternizing?"

"Maybe not now but I'm sure there must have been some, you know... You're not going to tell me you missed out the fun part and jumped straight into the marital straight jacket."

"Of course not..."

"Then we're all ears, you never know when we might need to make use of it ourselves." He cast a surreptitious glance in Tara's direction before pulling out a chair for Jack to sit on.

"Somehow I don't think it'll work more than once. The powers-that-be aren't exactly thrilled at having to waive some of their precious rules."

"So, how'd you do it?"

"With a lot of help from my lawyer friend back home… We read and re-read the policy until we could recite it in our sleep and Sue and I had almost given up when he called me late one night. The rule, he pointed out, only applied to Agents working in the same unit, so if one of us wasn't, then our dating couldn't be classed as fraternization…"

"But, at the time, neither of us wanted to transfer." Sue interjected.

"And that's why you had yourself removed from the active duty register..." Tara exclaimed triumphantly, earning a bemused stare from the Aussie. "If you're not listed as active then technically, you're no longer assigned to any unit."

"Go on…"

"But since I was injured in the line of duty, provided I passed the physical and psyche exams, once I decided to return they were obliged to re-instate me…"

"Except by that time, you and Sue were married." Myles commented. "Very clever…"

"Sorry Harvard, you've lost me."

"That's not difficult. As far as I know, there are no rules prohibiting married Agents working in the same Field Office, in fact I believe that several already do."

"But in the same Unit?"

"That was a little trickier and I'm still not sure how D and I got away with it. He went to the S.A.i.C to request more help but they refused as he knew they would. Apparently, you'd all been making life difficult for any new arrival and they were well and truly hacked off about it. Dimitrius offered to try and find a replacement himself, they weren't happy but they agreed…"

"And at that point, you just happened to be available for reassignment." Tara commented.

"Naturally, they dragged out the rulebook but my friend had already briefed us on how to proceed. D asked if they would have had any objections to my returning had Sue and I not been married and they said 'no'."

"Thus falling head-first into our trap. " D stated from his position in the doorway.

"What trap?"

"The discrimination trap," Jack explained.

"They were trying to deny his application not on the grounds that he was unfit for the job but that being married might impact on his ability to perform his duties as an Agent. However, since they had no evidence to support their theory and the rules they were quoting were originally written to stop co-workers dating, especially out of their pay grade, and prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, they couldn't really be applied in the case of marriage…"

"I can almost hear the laws being rewritten as we speak." Myles joked.

"Sorry, you've lost me again." Bobby scratched his head in confusion.

"Me too," Tara concurred.

"And me." Lucy agreed.

"I'm not sure I understood most of it either but Jack's friend did," D laughed. "And it worked…"

"Maybe because they didn't understand it, either…"

"That's what we were counting on, Crash," Jack confirmed. "Human rights and workplace discrimination appear to be a quagmire they didn't want to get bogged down in, but… they will be watching us closely and demanding regular updates from our superiors and if anyone lodges a formal complaint against either of one of us for inappropriate behaviour or raises any kind of objection to us working together, we'll both be out. I hope no one here has any problem with that?"

All eyes turned to Myles.

"What are you looking at me for? If the past months have taught me anything, it's the complete accuracy of that old adage – 'better the devil you know'. Provided they do their work efficiently and leave the other stuff at home, I don't foresee any difficulties."

"I think we can keep ourselves under control during work hours." Sue blushed and grinned at the same time.

"I'm not so sure…"

"Jack!"

"Kidding,"

"Good then that's settled, although I suggest we keep this in-house, so to speak. There are far too many people in this building who live to stir up trouble just for the sake of it. Jack, Sue, I need you both in my office, the powers–that-be have sent down a whole slew of 'whys and wherefores' for you to look through and sign."

"Looks like that law degree of yours might finally be of some use, Sparks. What say we all meet back here at the end of the day and go out for a little celebration?"

"Make it Friday and you're on."

"Sue?"

"Fine with me..."

"Good."

"Jack, mate" Bobby put a hand on his shoulder and took him to one side "…A quick word, before you go."

"Sure," he followed him to a deserted part of the office. "What's up?"

"About that guy, you know the one who shot you…"

"What about him?"

"Metro PD… Let's just say you won't have to worry about looking over your shoulder anymore."

"What happened?"

"We had his place under permanent surveillance and a couple of months ago he came back to collect some stuff. There was a shoot-out and he lost. Just thought you ought to know..."

"Thanks," he wiped a hand over his face then jumped when Levi touched his leg.

"Looks like the little woman's getting impatient mate," he slapped the shorter man on the back. "Careful you don't trip over the ball and chain on your way out."

"You're just jealous."

"Damn straight," The Aussie agreed quietly after he'd gone.

o-xxx-o

When they reached the parking bay, Jack slipped in through the passenger door while Sue ushered Levi into the back of the car.

"You don't want to drive?"

"No… thanks."

Slipping in behind the wheel she frowned when she saw him leaning back with his eyes closed, reaching across she gently stroked his arm. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I guess… no… maybe…" He gave her a bemused grin. "It's kinda weird, you know?"

"What is?"

"I've been in and out of this building a million times and yet… I don't know how to explain. It's all so familiar and yet it isn't the same. Walking into the bullpen, it felt as though I'd never been away but I have, for a whole year. I-" He shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well, then we take one day at a time. I'm sure you'll soon get back into it."

"And if I don't?"

"Then we'll deal with that too, if and when it happens, okay?" She squeezed his arm reassuringly and was rewarded with a soft smile.

**O-K**

"Good."

"Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

"Not for two weeks."

"True. Well I do, very, very much."

"And I love you." She leaned in to give him a quick peck on the lips but his arm slid round the back of her neck, holding her against him as he deepened the kiss before suddenly breaking away.

"What?"

He glanced up at the security cameras. "Big Brother's watching, remember?"

Sue sighed. "I guess that's something we'll just have to get used to. Especially after all those undertakings we had to sign and no doubt we'll be questioned about them when we take our annual lie detector tests."

Jack stifled a laugh, "reminds me of an old Drifters record my Mom used to play."

"What one?"

"Like Sister and Brother."

"I don't know it."

"I'll download the lyrics for you."

"Thanks. Are you ready to go home?"

"Oh yeah, that's one thing I am sure about."

"Then, buckle-up, please."

"Yes ma'am."

o-xxx-o


End file.
